As part of my New Year's resolutions, I've taken up the study and practice of regular meditation. I'm serious this time — really! Accordingly, I went out back in January and dutifully purchased a few books and CDs on meditation — and I dove right in. [splash]
All the books on meditation come with some simple, basic instructions:
Step 1: Find a quiet place to sit.
Step 2: Sit comfortably but not rigid
Step 3: Pay attention to your breath, and let any distracting thoughts go without attachment
Step 4: Repeat — regularly!
After a month of mostly-steady practice, I thought I'd share some of my observations of the battle I've been waging inside my head:
- Finding 10-15 minutes of peace and quiet each day is proving to be much harder than I thought it would be. I can't possibly be that busy, can I? Clearly my priorities are way out of whack! I got 10 minutes of meditation in today, only because I consciously decided to be 10 minutes late to work. And finding 20 minutes to sit there and do nothing? Ha!
- Reading about meditation is not meditation.
- Thinking about meditation is not meditation.
- Trying to meditate is not the same thing as actually meditating.
- Only meditating is meditating, and I'm finding that sitting there doing nothing is damn hard work. Is it possible that I can be beaten so handily by a tiny little cushion?
- I'm my own worst enemy! Somehow, I've procrastinated, delayed, and otherwise avoided my meditating sessions by searching for all the perfect meditation equipment. Candles, incense, and soft music are nice, but not necessary. Neither are statues, gongs, or even a nice soft cushion for your butt.
- And sitting with a comfortable posture? Impossible! I watch my daughter in amazement as she sits ramrod straight with the royal ease of Kuan Yin. Yeah, a few minutes of that and I'm more than a little uncomfortable. One more reason, my mind says, to give this whole thing up.
- But I'm not giving up. No way: My mind has no idea how stubborn I am.
3 comments:
Mr. Gould,
Thank you for your thoughts on meditation. I have come to find that this is the hardest thing on my entire test(at the moment) to stay committed to! I never thought in a million years that meditation would be the hardest thing for me to do.
You have re-energized me, re-inspired me and gotten my ass in gear to make meditation a 'must' and not a 'should.'
Thank you
Chris Hadlock
916.222.4838
www.FolsomDOJO.com
Thank you for posting this. I've had the same kind of experience every time I've tried meditation. Thinking about giving it another try. If I can just find the right kind of cushion this time... ;-)
my sentiments exactly. today there was only one "must" on my long list. meditate. It was the onlt thing left undone. priorities out of whack!
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